Archive

The first outdoor pipe band contest on Scotland’s east coast was won by the Lothian & Borders Police. The event marked the full-band return of Dysart & Dundonald . . .

Field Marshal Montgomery got its season off to a solid start with a win over 2011 World Champions St. Laurence O’Toole at the County Tyrone Championships at Dungannon in a three . . .

Alex Gandy won his first William Livingstone Sr. Memorial Invitational Solo Piping Competition, playing in a new format for the decades-old event. Gandy won in a 20-minute . . .

Chants of USA! USA! followed Donald MacPhee’s 20-minute freestyle performance at the first-ever International Piping in the Park solo competition that brought together six players from different countries to show their piping stuff while sporting their native colours, and while MacPhee wowed the crowd, it was Gordon McCready of Scotland who gained the overall prize. McCready donned a Scottish rugby jersey, and won the MSR trophy with “Knightswood Ceilidh,” “Caber Feidh” . . .

The town of Dumbarton, Scotland, will once again host the Scottish Pipe Band Championships, the first of the RSPBA’s . . .

The popularity of “other” bagpipes over the last 20 years is being realized at a games that would typically cater only to the Highland piping competitions . . .

Field Marshal Montgomery started its championships season with a win of the 2011 Scottish Pipe Band Championships held in mainly cold, rainy, windy conditions at Leven Grove Park. By mid-afternoon the massed bands had been cancelled. 2010 World Champions St. Laurence O’Toole settled for second, while ScottishPower made its way into the top three, despite a missed attack. Fife Constabulary snuck into the prize-list . . .

The Grade 1 Toronto Police Pipe Band returned to the legendary el Mocambo Club in downtown Toronto for the second straight year to perform a two-hour . . .

We continue our frank and candid conversation with Gerry Quigg, an unsung innovator of pipe band music responsible, in many ways, for introducing new musical idioms to traditional pipe band music. In Part 2, Quigg discusses famous pipe band people lifting his ideas and accepting credit for them, the genesis of the 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band, his regrets about leaving that band and the current state of pipe band music. We also include a rare recording of the City of Toronto Pipe Band’s “MacIntosh’s Lament” medley, performed in competition at the Toronto Indoor Games in 1977. Exclusively for subscribers to pipes|drums magazine.

Those planning to attend the week-long events preceding the 2011 World Pipe Band Championships will need to set aside a little more money, as another major pipe . . .

The event that many credit with sparking the idea for a week-long festival of piping and drumming during the week preceding the World Pipe Band . . .

After a half-century tradition of restricting its pipe bands to only male pipers and drummers, the St. Thomas Episcopal School of . . .

The Grade 2 Antwerp & District won both the Grade 2 and the Open event at the annual Continental Pipe Band Championships, which attracted competitors from Holland, Belgium and Germany. Bands were allowed to challenge up a grade . . .

Gordon McCready of Renfrew, Scotland, recorded a perfect day at the Bathgate Highland Games, winning all three events, a rare feat at any substantial UK competition. Eighteen competed . . .

The 32nd annual Jakarta Highland Gathering was held in tropical conditions at Lippo Karawaci just outside of central Jakarta. More than 7,000 spectators attended the event, which was the finale to weeklong celebrations that included a golf tournament . . .

Gordon McCready of Renfrew, Scotland, emerged the aggregate winner at the Atholl Gathering in challenging cold, blustery conditions. Seventy-five competitors played in the senior piping, which was split into three “boards” of 25 . . .